May 25, 2013
- With arch rival Ford of Australia having announced earlier this week that it will cease all in-continent manufacturing in 2016, you might think that General Motors' Holden division might be feeling a bit more confident about its future prospects. Yet that doesn't necessarily appear to be the case. At least for the moment, Ford's headline-grabbing announcement may take some of the wind out of the sails of Holden's new VF Commodore lineup (SS model pictured above), a critical new range launching...
May 24, 2013
- Judging by the destruction the Oklahoma City area experienced earlier this week, residents are going to need a lot of help in coming months. Fortunately, a number of automakers - including General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota - have stepped up to donate money, supplies and vehicles to aid in the recovery and rebuilding processes. Here's a quick rundown of which automakers have pitched in and what each contributed so far: Ford Motor Company has donating $250,000 and a...
- Volkswagen has gotten pretty comfortable hogging the - admittedly small - non-premium diesel car market in the US. With Golf and Jetta, the German automaker has been the one and only choice for those interested in the torquey, high-mpg merits of turbocharged diesel power. However, US customers seem to be growing more interested in the technology that has been the primary mode of propulsion in most of Europe for many years now. Mazda is quite close to bringing its Skyactiv-D diesel engines to...
- Another day, another recall, with this week filling up with safety actions from major automakers. This time it's Cadillac, which is concerned about the security of the lug nuts installed on the 2013 Cadillac SRX mid-size crossover. The SRX lug nuts are vulnerable to a loosening of their Teflon coating, …
- Dan Sligh and his wife were headed for a Memorial Day camping trip yesterday evening when the Interstate 5 bridge over Washington's Skagit River collapsed ahead of his Ram pickup. Sligh said he saw a big puff of dust after a tractor trailer struck a portion of the bridge, and the roadway quickly vanished into the river below. While he applied the brakes, the momentum of his truck and trailer propelled the couple right over the edge. While speaking with reporters, Sligh said he held on as tight...
- In case you missed it, Australia's V8 Supercars racing series - think of it as a cross between ALMS GT and NASCAR - roared through Texas this past weekend providing entertainment for more than 68,000 fans who were in attendance at the Austin 400 held at the impressive Circuit of the Americas venue. The three-day Championship event included four qualifying sessions and four 100 kilometer sprint races, all run nearly flat-out.
The series'...
May 23, 2013
- General Motors will auction off the first Cadillac CTS V-Sport for charity. Mary Barra, head of global product development for GM, announced that the automaker will donate the first CTS V-Sport to the SAE Foundation to be auctioned in support for the organization's science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational programs (STEM). GM supports the STEM programs through its GM Foundation, both with financial grants and with 1,500 mentors and volunteers to help students with their...
- For all intents and purposes, automakers aren’t making a nickel from the few electric cars they sell. Fiat says it’s losing $10,000 on every 500E, and while General Motors disputes the Volt’s red ink—estimated at more than $40,000 per car by some sources—Chevrolet is doling out a Costco-size discoun...
- He didn't get the trophy, but he did get the girl pace car. San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh - who quarterbacked the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1997 - will lead the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field around The Brickyard in a 2014 Corvette Stingray pace car. Harbaugh's other connection to the race is that he's a principal in Panther Racing, which has two cars running on Sunday that are powered by Chevrolet engines: JR Hildebrand is starting tenth, teammate Townsend Bell is 22nd....
- The same recent global economic crises that have led luxury automakers to invade the small car market are also somewhat responsible for the influx of near-luxury sedans from mainstream automakers. As the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Audi are reaching down for new customers, automakers like Hyundai, Chevrolet and Toyota are reaching up to bridge the gap and fill in the white space between the industry's typical high-volume large sedans and established luxury sedans. Joining this emerging market,...
- After years of diluting its fabled SS badge, Chevrolet has sworn off applying it to models that are unworthy and unfun. But hold the applause, as there’s another letter sequence that wears the double-sided sticky tape: RS. This less-fondly remembered moniker, which is “a throwback to ‘Rally Sport,’ ...
- The Detroit News reports automakers are coming out in support of proposed free trade legislation between the US and the European Union. The Association of Global Automakers, representing major Asian manufacturers, says the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will promote economic growth, increase jobs and make US and EU companies more competitive on the global market. The legislation will also open the door for EU and US regulators to agree on one standard for emissions, crash...
- A potential issue with the lug nuts on 19,871 units of the 2013 Cadillac SRX in the US and Canada has lead to a recall of the luxury crossover. Those lug nuts that have a Teflon topcoat, identified by their bluish tint, could loosen and cause "creaking, rattling or grinding noises or steering vibrations." In the worst case scenario, a wheel could fall off, but there have been no reports of that happening, nor any reports of accidents or injuries due to the issue. This is the second recall...
- We try very, very hard to keep snark away from creations like the one you see here. After all, someone poured plenty of enthusiasm, time and money into turning a 2008 Cadillac XLR into a modern interpretation of the new-old cars typically done by cottage builders like Excalibur and Clénet. Even so, it's hard not to wince when you set an eye on this machine. With its wheelbase stretched to accommodate the extra bodywork, goofy sidewalls and upkicked nose (examine it in profile, it looks...
- China has reversed a policy that would have nixed incentives for investments from foreign automakers, paving the way for further expansion by General Motors, Volkswagen and others. Legislators had removed automotive manufacturing from the list of industries that would receive government support in the future, but foreign investment fell off significantly in April. The country's National Development and Reform Commission responded by not only reinstating foreign automotive investment but by...